Monday, April 02, 2007

Another Voice of Summer Is Stilled: Remembering Herb Carneal


I never got to hear much of Minnesota Twins announcer Herb Carneal, but knew of his legend that was justly acquired from being the voice of a team for 45 years. That means millions of fans heard his steady, authoritative voice spread across the Upper Midwest calling thousands of games.
Carneal wasn't flashy. He called attention to the game rather than himself. His was the voice of a reporter rather than a radio star. That made him a beloved figure in Minnesota and also earned him a place in Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1996.
Carneal died yesterday at age 83, and with his passing goes one more legend from the days before cable TV and the Internet when radio and baseball were intertwined in a match that has withstood the test of time and technology.
If you want to catch up to some of what Twins fans will miss, the Star-Tribune has some good clips, as does the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.
Remembrances can also be heard on the site for WCCO, which had been the team's only radio voice unti this year. A nasty divorce over money and promotion sent the team to KSTP, but hearing Carneal on WCCO was part of Minnesota lore.
Godspeed.

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